Or Chicken Soup For the Narcisstic Soul

Whenever I read an a biography about a famous person, I always like the breakthrough period when the public discovers their talents and they meet other people who are initially more famous.

Celebrity comes with riches, love, glory, unlimited romantic choices, and a great table at the best restaurants as long as you keep your fame fresh and healthy. Side effects however may include drug use, alcoholism, multiple divorces, and your kids being raised by several different sets of parents.

It also comes with incredible pressure to remain on top, and a frequent desire to punch out predatory paparazzi who hunt you down every time you are in public.

I think every single one of us has wanted fame at one time or another for ourselves. For some, it means that they did something well enough to reach the top of their profession and fame comes as a byproduct. I might include Tom Hanks, President Obama and Warren Buffet in this category and I believe each of them have handled fame with dignity and class, just as I believe they would have been fine without it.

There are others who desperately need fame to make up for a difficult childhood. To them, fame is like oxygen. They will do anything to get it and keep it even as it devours them. They need to stay in the limelight even as they self-destruct.

I would include Janis Joplin, Marilyn Monroe, more recently, it would seem Roseanne Barr. Ironically, I would not include the Kardashians. They have become experts at riding their fame like a surfer on a wave, and have exploited it to become incredibly wealthy. To them, fame is just a big musical instrument they have learned how to play.

Meeting a Comedy Idol

I was about 16 when the Smothers Brothers Show came on the air. I was especially taken by Pat Paulson who frequently did a short editorial commentary on the news. He once did an entire bit on sex, but he never used the actual word. Instead, he slowly spelled S-E-X as if he was a prudish school master. His deadpan style and his clever material knocked me out. After watching him, I dreamt that I would get a job like his, and have 5 minutes to do with what I wanted on a great show.

In 1972, as a prank, Pat Paulson ran for president. He performed at my college and took questions. Despite my heart pounding, I raised my hand and asked him if he really thought he might get Erected. I got a huge laugh. I still don’t remember what he said next, but he waited out my laugh and came back with a response that got a huge laugh as well. So, I not only got a laugh in the presence of a comedy idol, but I set him up to get a big laugh right back. I was thrilled.

About 10 years later, I got to open for Pat Paulson at the Atlanta Punchline. The first moment I saw him in the dressing room he was changing his pants and had on bright colored underwear. This is not the way I expected to meet him.

But it made him seem so down to earth that it immediately took away my sense of awe and replaced it with a sense of comfort. Pat Paulson was sitting 5 feet from me in bright colored underwear and didn’t care about his celebrity image or acting like a big shot. He was just this low key talented man who immediately made me like a friend

During the week that followed, I told him my story from college and I listened to his stories about the Smothers Brothers Show and his winery in Napa.

I always thought Pat Paulson was one of the funniest and underrated comics ever and he definitely had an influence on me with his deadpan style and sharp funny material. It turns out he was also one of the nicest.

I would love to hear from any of you about your own personal encounters with famous people and any ideas you might have about this topic in general.